boys first 22 rifle

My son is 6 yrs old and I would like to buy him his first rifle so he can start plinking with dad. Looking aroung at local gun shops, all I have found in youth models are Cricket rifles.The plastic cocking piece and overall quality kinda turn my stomach. What companies make good quality youth model 22 cals just like dads?:sad2:

with nice wood stocks and stainless barrels got one just a while back for my daughter. had to order it though but it is well built and pretty accurate for what it is and what it cost. she has only had it a little while and already shot 100's of shots through it

I am a big believer in starting a kid out with a REAL rifle...and a NON-semiauto.

If you can find one...I recommend an old russian single shot tula bolt action military trainer. They are safe, small, deadly accurate, cheap and never have a problem. most are pretty beat up, but the wood can always be refinished and are a perfect kids first rifle.

I agree with not getting a semi-auto. I love autoloading .22's, but I've been taking firearms apart and putting them back together for years. As odd as it may sound, I don't mind having things not work quite right (not just guns, everything. Cars, Computers, etc). I enjoy the challenge of making it work again.

He, being 6, would probably be frustrated from down time, and might want to give up the sport. I would get either Single Shot, Bolt Action, or Level Action. There are some pump action rifles out there as well, but I'm not sure if any come in a youth size.

Rossi makes several youth combo's that come with 2 or 3 barrels in chamberings from .22 lr to 12 ga. The barrels are easily swapped and when he gets older, a full sized buttstock can be installed. My oldest grandson just got a Browning BL-22 for his B-Day and I'm building him a shorter buttstock for it, when he outgrows it, we'll add a pad to lengthen it, and when that gets too short, we'll put the original back on it. FWIW, the Rossi's are pretty inexpensive and Academy usually has a pretty good selection of them.

I agree with not getting a semi-auto. I love autoloading .22's, but I've been taking firearms apart and putting them back together for years. As odd as it may sound, I don't mind having things not work quite right (not just guns, everything. Cars, Computers, etc). I enjoy the challenge of making it work again.

He, being 6, would probably be frustrated from down time, and might want to give up the sport. I would get either Single Shot, Bolt Action, or Level Action. There are some pump action rifles out there as well, but I'm not sure if any come in a youth size.

Thanks for the input, I didn't know Henry made a youth rifle. I checked it out and it looks pretty sweet. All the reviews I've found are all very positive. It is the official youth rifle of the US Olympic team. Think I will look into the Henry further.

i would not buy him a youth model 22 because most 22 these days are usualy smaller guns so you could get him a ruger 10/22 and he should be able to shoot it just fine. stay with a regular size rifle so he can use it when he is an adult that way you dont have to buy more that one gun or buy extra things to add so it would fit him better in the future

Yepper....I bought the Golden Boy .22lr a few months ago...great fun and they really stand by their product.

After getting it home from Cabela's and wiping off the grease I noticed an abrasion and a nick in the brasslite receiver.

After a couple weeks it kind of bugged me so I emailed Henry about buying a replacement receiver...non other than the President of the company emailed me saying they will send me a replacement for free.

1 1/2 weeks later there was a nice shiny brasslite receiver on my door step with zero inperfections on it....you can't go wrong with Henry!

I started on a criket, deadly out to 100 yards till i outgrew it. awsome gun for beginners. I dont know about the new ones but mine ( made in 1996 if i rember right) is a very high qauilty fire arm. Still have it to hand down to my kids someday.

If you have the money for it, that Henry is a great choice. Keep in mind that your kid is probably going to be handing down the same gun to his kid one day...you want it to be something good, right? That Marlin that Crazy Ivan recommended sounded good too.

If you don't have the budget for a Henry, those Crickets are great first guns too, and now they come in all sorts of variations. They're just not the highest of quality. Bolt action is definitely the way to go for a first gun. It forces them to think about each shot. There's another single shot .22 out there made by the Rogue Rifle Company
out of Lewiston, Idaho. It's called the Chipmunk. Here's a review of it on Gunblast.com:Rogue Rifle Company’s "Chipmunk" Youth Rifles

This is the one I bought for my nephew in .17HMR. He was frustrated shooting my old Stephens bolt action .22 because his arms were too short for it and it was very awkward, not to mention unstable. The Chipmunk was a perfect fit and he's into shooting more than ever. Not saying you should get a chipmunk, just keep in mind comfort for your kid. It will make a world of difference for him if he has a good fitting rifle.